AsianScientist (Sep. 5, 2011) – Chinese fitness levels and health have improved across all age groups in the past five years, although obesity rates have also increased as well.
These statistics were revealed on Friday as part of the 2010 National Fitness Report of Children, Adults, and Elderly by China’s General Administration of Sport.
The study, carried out in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), sampled a total of 231,925 people, of which 51,159 were children, 155,054 were adults, and 25,712 were elderly, through physical fitness testing and lifestyle surveys.
Worryingly, obesity rates in the adult (20-59 years old) and elderly (60-69 years old) groups have continued to rise.
According to the standard Body Mass Index (BMI) for Chinese populations, the percentage of overweight adults and elderly was 32.1 percent and 39.8 percent in 2010, an increase of 3.0 and 4.2 percentage points, respectively, from 2005.
Despite weight gains in the adult and elderly groups, an improvement in physical fitness and health was observed across all age groups, as a result of the National Fitness Program and the influence of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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Source: General Administration of Sport of China.
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